
Church in Italy slammed with taxes for meeting in former shop
A church in Rome that meets in a former shop is appealing a Supreme Court ruling that they pay thousands of dollars in taxes because the worship site is for commercial use only.
A church in Rome that meets in a former shop is appealing a Supreme Court ruling that they pay thousands of dollars in taxes because the worship site is for commercial use only.
It is not unusual to be triggered by an opinion or comments in mainstream or social media that we feel strongly against. The relatively anonymous nature of the internet feeds the urge to respond with a strong corrective. If we think we are representing Christianity well in this way, we do well to pause and think again, informed by these insights from an Evangelical political commentator in the United Kingdom.
Cultural Christians are those who embrace the ethics of Christianity that formed the foundation of Western society, which has brought a great deal of benefit to the world. They are convinced of the Christian message but not committed to the Christian Lord. In his first opinion for Christian Daily International, J.John says that Cultural Christianity provides wonderful opportunities for sharing the gospel.
Reputation is something highly prized by the world and those with a public reputation work hard to protect it. The Lively/Baldoni saga is a case in point. From Hollywood to tribal honor cultures, reputation is highly valued. It is the world's pearl of great price, but Jesus considers us his pearl and sacrificed everything including his reputation to purchase it, setting the bar for his followers to sacrifice similarly so that we may thrive.
The world is hurtling toward being ruled once more by mega empires as autocracies reach a global tipping point and take full control. This outcome was not unexpected even though for many it is lamentable. From his European perspective, regular columnist Jeff Fountain provides insights and hope.
Christian schools plan to seek a Judicial Review over U.K. Government plans to add Value Added Tax (VAT) onto private school fees, which they say risks closing the schools and denying parents the rights to give children an education based on school curriculums prioritizing Christian values and beliefs.
Members of the U.K. House of Commons [Parliament] are to be given a “free vote” on whether assisted dying should be legalized - but a top Christian doctor has questioned the timing of the legal bill. Assisted dying was rejected by parliamentarians in 2015 but Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is pushing for a renewed debate on the issue after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged to allow MPs a vote, after indicating his own support for a change in law.
Austria has seen a far right political party winning the largest vote share in a general election held on Sept. 29, marking a significant change in the political landscape. A leading evangelical body has called for prayer as negotiations continue to form a new government. Die Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (The Freedom Party of Austria, FPÖ) is the first far right political party since the Second World War to mark such an achievement, gaining 29 percent of votes for the 183-member National Cou
The Irish government has backed down from plans to include “hate speech” in legislation that risked imprisoning Christians and others for possessing varied and undefined materials deemed offensive.
A somber atmosphere fell at a meeting of Lausanne 4 as church ministry leaders described the challenges faced in living out gospel values within difficult societal and cultural scenarios - after a human trafficking survivor in a presentation told of her abuse ordeal before being rescued and finding Christ. The discussion ensued during an evening session entitled “Lessons from the Global Church. Reconciliation – The Church’s Responsibility in Areas of Brokenness” on Friday, Sept. 27.
The first disciples were mainly workers in various trades and the workplace still offers a holy ground to be a “priestly presence” to witness for Jesus, delegates heard at the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Incheon, Korea.These were the views of Julia Garschagen, a Bible expositor at Lausanne 4 and director of Pontes Institute for Science, Culture and Faith, also a guest lecturer at the Evangelistenschule Johanneum in Wuppertal and co-leader of “truestory,” a digital youth o